6 December 2006 – The Philippine Embassy in Stockholm reported to the Department of Foreign Affairs that the Swedish chapter of the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) has completed a study tour of the Philippines with the support of the Department of Tourism office in London and Malaysia Airlines.
Philippine Ambassador to Sweden Victoria S. Bataclan said that the familiarization trip handled by the Baron Travel acquainted 12 Swedish tour operators with tourist sites and facilities in Manila, Tagaytay, Boracay and Cebu from 17 to 22 November 2006.
Among the hosts for the group’s site inspections were Philippine Plaza Hotel and The Heritage in Manila; The Panoly, Waling-Waling, Seawind Hotel and Friday’s in Boracay; and Waterfront Hotel and Marco Polo Plaza in Cebu.
In a message to Ambassador Bataclan, PATA Sweden Secretary Mr. Claes-Göran Erikssohe stated that his members were “impressed by the hospitality and excellent service extended to them in the Philippines.” He also expressed confidence that their fantastic experience will translate into a stronger sales pitch for Philippine destinations to their clients.
The 12 slots for this year’s familiarization trip were filled by reputable Swedish tour operators, namely Resevarushuset, American Express, Temaresor, Lunds Resebyrå, Stockholms Specialresor, Asian Travel, Big Travel, Scanworld, Asienguiden, and My Travel. As one of the largest tour operators in the Nordic region, My Travel boasts of stores and online services in Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Finland, catering to 1.5 million holidays each year to hundreds of destinations around the world.
“The Embassy intends to help sustain the ever-increasing tourism arrivals from the Nordic and Baltic states with more tourism promotion activities next year, including a special Jubilee Package in conjunction with the 60th Anniversary of Philippines-Sweden Diplomatic Relations,” Ambassador Bataclan remarked.
